Administration
 | Vikki Ehret (ext. 101)Receptionist/Administrative AssistantVikki Ehret is the first face someone sees when walking in to our main offices. First face, first voice! She also is the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Middle School Ministries, Nathan Sellstrom. Vikki has had a long history in the music and drama world and can often be found singing in local churches in the community. |
 | Christine Jarrett (ext. 112)Financial & Benefits AdministratorChristine Jarrett is the Financial & Benefits Administrator. She has worked at Grace Bible Church since 1999 and feels very fortunate to be part of such a great staff and church. She was born and raised in Arroyo Grande. She and her husband Gary met in high school and have been married for 25 years. They have two sons, the oldest son just started college and the youngest son just started high school. When she is not at work, she enjoys spending time with family & friends, bike riding, taking her husky on long walks and reading. |
Adults & Families
 | Brian Farone (ext. 103)Associate Pastor, Adults and FamiliesBrian Farone* () is our Associate Pastor of Adults and Families. Brian and his wife Teri have two children, Samuel and Grace. Brian provides pastoral leadership and shepherding to our adults in the areas of Small Groups, Sunday Morning Adult Bible Fellowships (ABFs), Men's Ministry, Women's Ministry. He also oversees our Family and Children’s Ministries. |
 | Tracy Whittemore (ext. 109)Administrative AssistantTracy is the Administrative Assistant to Adult & Family Ministries with Brian Farone. She has worked at GBC now for over 6 years. She loves her job and the people she works with! Tracy was born in San Luis Obispo and has lived in Arroyo Grande her whole life. She is married to Duane for almost 24 years and they have two daughters, Chrissy and Taylor. In her spare time, she enjoys singing and playing the guitar and autoharp. |
Children's Ministry
 | Betsy Newell (ext. 117)Children’s Ministries DirectorBetsy Newell has been on staff since 2001, and became the Director of Children's Ministries in 2005. Prior to joining the staff, Betsy taught middle school. She and her husband Tom have three children, Megan, Timothy, and Jeremy. Betsy leads the Children's Ministry Team and sets the pace and vision for this ministry. In her spare time she enjoys playing fantasy football, playing with the family dog, KD, and hanging out with family and friends. |
 | Lyn Jones (ext. 118)Administrative AssistantLyn Jones has been a member of Grace Bible Church for over 20 years. She is the Administrative Assistant for Children's and Women's Ministries. She has been on staff since 2000. She says she may be at work, but it's always fun in Children's Ministries. She has two grown sons, a daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren. She enjoys reading, gardening, walking, and hanging out with good friends. |
Communications
 | Stephanie Tippitt (ext. 127)Director of CommunicationsStephanie Tippitt is our Director of Communications. She produces and manages the communication materials that support the various ministries and overall church communication needs. She also maintains the website. Stephanie has been married to her husband Brian for over 15 years, and they have 2 beautiful daughters. In her spare time, she loves to ride horses, read, shop and spend time with friends and family. |
Congregational Care
 | Paul TomsPastor of VisitationPaul Toms serves as Pastor of Visitation. For over fifty-five years, with his wife Eva at his side, Paul has served in missionary work and pastoral leadership in places from Australia to Boston. His primary focus currently is to call on the sick and home bound persons in the Grace family. |
GraceAlive-Senior Ministry
 | Bruce Neff (ext. 104)Associate Pastor, Senior AdultsBruce Neff is our Associate Pastor, Senior Adults. He and his wife, Joanne have three married sons. The oldest and youngest live on the Central Coast. Their second son and his family live in Virginia. They enjoy being grandparents to their five grandchildren. Bruce is excited about the ministry to seniors – helping them explore new avenues of ministry and the rewards of serving in a changing time of their life. |
 | Marilyn Gipson (ext. 111)Administrative AssistantMarilyn Gipson has worked in the office at GBC for 15 years this November. She is the Administrative Assistant for Senior Adult Ministries. We have a very active group of 50+ adults in our church, so she is kept busy keeping up with things at this part-time position. When she is not at work, she enjoys lots of family in this area, a wonderful group of friends, and a very supportive church family. She will often pack her bags and take advantage of travel opportunities with Seniors from the church, her family and her group of special friends. Because of the things she has experienced with an 11 year battle with cancer and the death of her husband of 42 years, she is living proof that GOD IS GOOD.....ALL THE TIME! |
Hispanic Ministry
 | Mario GarciaAssociate Pastor of Hispanic MinistriesMario Garcia is our Associate Pastor of Hispanic Ministries. He and his wife, Maria, came to GBC in December 2001. They have recently launched a new church, Ministerio Divino Salvador, and are both passionate about reaching the Hispanic population of Oceano and the Five Cities area. They have two small children, Rebecca and Natalie. |
Senior Pastor
 | Joe Bubar (ext. 102)Senior PastorJoe Bubar is our Senior Pastor. In 1997 he and his wife, Charlotte, came to GBC. They have raised three sons, all now married and raising children of their own. His primary ministry is to teach the Bible, lead the pastoral team, and along with the GBC elders provide vision and direction for our congregation.
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 | Maggie Zender (ext. 110)Office Manager/Administrative AssistantMaggie Zender enjoys working as the Administrative Assistant to the Senior Pastor (Joe Bubar) and the Director of Ministry Operations (Dennie Newell), and also is Office Manager. She has been on staff at GBC for almost eight years. Maggie has been married to Jim for 37 years, and they have two married sons, and one grandson, who live nearby in Santa Barbara and Lompoc. When not working, she enjoys “hanging out” with Jim, playing the piano, spending her Fridays with her grandson, Duke, and enjoying God’s gifts of her family and good friends. |
Student Ministry
 | Ben Youngkin (ext. 122)Associate Pastor, Student Ministries and Community OutreachBen Youngkin is the Associate Pastor of Student ministries and Community Outreach. He has been serving in student ministries at GBC since May 2002. He is married to the wonderful Caitie Youngkin and they have two amazing kids; Bella and Kess. Ben has been in Seminary for the past four years so most of his “free time” is actually spent doing things like parsing Greek verbs (Yeah!) But in his down time, he enjoys watching college football (USC Trojans), hanging with his family, eating food (Mexican and BBQ especially, though he doesn’t discriminate against any type of food), golfing, reading and traveling. |
 | Tiffany Shibata (ext. 113)Student Ministries CoordinatorTiffany Shibata is the Student Ministries Coordinator for Student Ministry. She has grown up in Grace Bible since elementary school and been involved in everything from singing in Jr. Choir, babysitting in the nursery, to being a part of the Jr. High and then the High School youth groups. While a student at Cal Poly, Tiffany volunteered as a leader with the high school group. She continued to serve until after graduation from Cal Poly in 2007, and then became an intern with the High School ministry. The internship was a huge learning and growing time for her, which led to her current position as Youth Coordinator. She love's youth ministries and being able to see God work in the lives of the students. |
 | Nate Sellstrom (ext. 115)Middle School DirectorNathan joined the Grace Bible team in June of 2009. He is excited to be a part of the families of 5th through 8th grade students in our community. His life has been dedicated to middle school students since high school as a volunteer, pastor, coach, and school teacher. Nathan loves to see students “get it” and launch out, using their energy and excitement to make an eternal difference in the world. He='s a big fan of eating (Mexican food), cycling (kids to the park), and media (hulu, facebook, & $1 movie rentals). His lovely wife, Desiree, likes to call him her “Big Jr. Higher”. They have three growing kiddos: Jonalynne, Ethan, and Elena. |
Worship Arts
 | Randy Weece (ext. 105)Associate Pastor, Worship ArtsRandy Weece is our Associate Pastor, Worship Arts. He and the love of his life, Susan, made the trek from Illinois to Grace Bible Church in March 2009. They are outrageously blessed with two adult children and a daughter-in-law. Randy's ministry passion is in helping people experience an authentic, passionate connection with God in corporate worship that will result in ongoing impact throughout the week. |
 | Pam McGill (ext. 114)Administrative AssistantPam McGill is the Administrative Assistant for Worship Arts. She has worked at Grace since 1999. Pam has been married to her sweetheart, Tim, for 28 years and they have 3 sons, Kyle, Kevin and Kade. She really enjoys singing in the choir. And, if you want to make her day, drop off some chocolate at her desk! |
